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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bank — for money
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. club — for golf
  11. tube — a container
  12. club — a group
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stand — to bear
  15. lean — thin
  16. bank — of a river
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rock — music
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bank — for money
  23. degree — temperature
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com